More information has emerged about the man who was killed while fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in Syria this past weekend.
NBC News reports he's been identified as Douglas McArthur McCain, a 33-year-old native of San Diego. Citing an activist with ties to the Free Syrian Army who has reportedly seen images of McCain's body, NBC News adds that he was one of three nonnative jihadis who were killed on the battlefield.
Furthermore, NBC News says it spoke with several of McCain's family members and friends recently. A woman who identified herself as his aunt provided confirmation that he had died, directing calls and inquiries to his mother.
Noting that McCain appeared to have begun declaring himself Muslim in 2004, Vox analyzed his Twitter account. After first using the platform towards the end of 2012, his tweets took a more radical tone around this spring:
Subhanallah. Watchin NAT GEO..... Allah is truly Amazin
— Duale Khalid (@iamthetooth) December 27, 2012
That's vastly different than the following:
It's funny to me how all these so call Muslim claim that they love Allah but always curse the one who try to implement his laws
— Duale Khalid (@iamthetooth) June 8, 2014
A senior administration official told NBC News that "dozens" of Americans are estimated to have ventured to Syria to fight with groups similar to ISIS. This remains one of the biggest concerns, in terms of domestic safety. "The threat we are most concerned about to the homeland is that of fighters like this returning to the U.S. and committing acts of terrorism," the official admitted to NBC News.
Send tips, photos and news developments to cityguidetips@complex.com.
